delicately

/ˈdɛlɪkətli/

//ˈdɛlɪkətli// adv

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"delicately" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“delicately” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #27,118. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#27,118
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In a delicate manner; exquisitely.

Corpus desk

Index EN-delicately · delicately · English

delicately · rank #27,118 · 15 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #27,118
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH Delia

Nearest frequency peer: Delia (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “delicately”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “delicately” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

delicately vs delicate
80% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for delicately
PropertyValue
Headworddelicately
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈdɛlɪkətli/
Letters10
Frequency rank#27,118
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “delicately”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).delicatelylands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Delia” (#27,117), “deluge” (#27,119), “defiantly” (#27,116). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “delicately” is #27,118. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around delicately (IPA /ˈdɛlɪkətli/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #27,118 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for delicately, with forms such as "ddelicately", "deilcately", and "delciately". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "delicate", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From delicate + -ly. The correct English form is delicately, spelled D-E-L-I-C-A-T-E-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    In a delicate manner; exquisitely.
  2. 2
    Tactfully.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how delicately appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The gingerbread was delicately, if imprecisely, captured by the brushstrokes.
  2. The intergrown foliage atop a xylosma hedge appears to be delicately balanced on long wooden fingers.

Etymology

From delicate + -ly.

This word in other languages

delicadamente(Español)délicatement(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddelicately
  • deilcately
  • delciately
  • deliactely
  • delicaetly
  • delicatelly
  • delicatelyy
  • delicateyl
  • delicatley
  • delicattely
  • deliccately
  • delictaely
  • dellicately
  • dleicately
  • edlicately

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of delicately - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ddelicately1deilcately2delciately2deliactely2delicaetly2delicatelly1delicatelyy1delicateyl2
Edit distance from "delicately"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "delicately"?
"delicately" is spelled D-E-L-I-C-A-T-E-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɛlɪkətli/.
What does "delicately" mean?
As an adverb, "delicately" means: In a delicate manner; exquisitely.
What words are commonly confused with "delicately"?
"delicately" is commonly confused with "delicate". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "delicately"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "delicately" is /ˈdɛlɪkətli/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "delicately"?
From delicate + -ly. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "delicately", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

dismissive#27,125convoluted#27,098compendium#27,092fractional#27,152

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

defenseless15 variantsimpediment15 variantsinactivity15 variantsincendiary15 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list